To enhance protective underwear for collection of fluid and fecal matter, protective underwear in the form of a diaper outer shell containing an inner waterproof or water resistant "sling" positioned within the shell to cover a user's groin when the diaper is worn was previously developed. Within the sling is a fluid absorbent pad that may be removable. A fluid-resistant sling, with its connecting pieces adjoined to an outer shell, was first disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,137,526 and 5,409,976. This fluid-resistant sling isolates body fluids from spreading to or beyond the outer shell region of the undergarment by the use of elastic on the outer edge of the shell or waterproof gussets mounted on opposite sides of the inner attached pad. The sling has a waterproof undersurface floating inside the outer shell. These various types of slings have proved satisfactory, although containment of fluid remains limited.
In subsequent work, the sling is improved to form a deeper pocket, and unique fasteners applied to retain the garment to the user with improved fit and, in the case of an infant user, the garment can "grow" as the infant grows. Because a baby can be on a total fluid diet for several months and conditions such as teething can produce loose stools, even with improved fit and deeper inner pocketed slings, there still remains a need for a greater area for containment of fluid and fecal matter. This is true especially for smaller infants who produce large quantities of fluid relative to the size of their small bodies.
Protective underwear constructions that attempt to increase fluid absorption may tend to be bulky and bunching may be visible from outside of clothing because not enough space is provided in the garment for absorbing material. In addition, manufacturing costs must be minimized to enable the product to have appeal to a broad market.